The A-Z of Investing Made Easy for South African High School Learners

South Africans are generally known to be more likely to spend than save, with many consumers finding it difficult to meet their monthly financial commitments. This is especially relevant in South Africa today with the tough economic climate, rising inflation and interest rates and the cost of fuel and food increasing rapidly. In fact, South Africa’s savings rate sits at only 0.5%, below that of most emerging markets.

Because most of what we learn about money is passed down from our parents or older generations, teaching younger generations about better money management is vital. Educating South Africans about investing; and showing that investing is easily accessible, affordable, and a powerful tool is one of the objectives of Money School, a free virtual learning platform that kicks off in October. Aimed at providing financial literacy content to Grade 11 and 12 learners at predominantly quintile 1-3 schools nationwide, this annual initiative sees interactive lessons livestreamed to a learner base of over 45 schools throughout South Africa.

Satrix is once again a headline sponsor of Money School, with investment being an important component of this nine-week programme, along with budgeting, saving and managing debt.

Duma Mxenge, Business Development Manager at Satrix, says that investing can lead to more people becoming financially resilient and even creating wealth, but few South Africans, let alone our youth, know about this valuable financial tool. “Investment refers to the process of allocating, or investing, money or resources into assets with the expectation of generating future income or profit,” says Mxenge. “These assets can include shares, bonds, property, unit trust funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and more.

“Also, too many people believe that investing is only for the wealthy, when in fact starting to invest as early as possible can help achieve long-term financial goals, especially because of the power of compound interest,” he says. 

In fact, younger people have time on their side, which allows them to benefit from the compounding effect of investing. The earlier you invest, the more time your money has to grow.
Compound interest means interest earning interest. Simply put, this means turning a small amount of money today into a lot more money over the course of a lifetime by investing it responsibly.

The investment module being shared with learners in the 2023 Money School will see financial experts outline the basic steps to starting your investment journey, and will show that the earlier you start, the better your returns will be over the long term. These virtual lessons will also include understanding some of the most common investment terms, different types of investments available as well as the wonders of compound interest, to help learners to become confident first-time investors. 

With the right education, approach and commitment, young investors can set themselves up for greater financial success in the future.

SatrixNOW is a digital investment platform that makes it simple to invest, for both first-time and experienced investors, and provides easy access to the full range of Satrix ETFs and unit trusts, as well as tax-free investments and retirement annuities.

Any schools or individuals interested in signing up for Money School, launching on 12 October, can contact 011 467 3341 or email admin@creativespacemedia.co.za.                   

Disclosure

Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd is an approved FSP in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS). The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision.

While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaim all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information.